Top Running News Stories of 2013

In order of impact, here are the top events and trends in running news of the year. // By Scott Douglas.

Bombings at Boston

The biggest running story of the year was by far the most tragic. Road racing’s openness and innocence was probably forever changed when two bombs were set off near the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, killing three and injuring more than 260. Although it was later revealed that the bombers chose the race out of convenience rather than specifically targeting road races, runners took the attacks personally. Many redoubled their dedication to training and racing. Because of increased demand, the Boston Marathon made a one-time expansion of its field, from 27,000 to 36,000, for 2014’s race, scheduled for April 21.

Security Step-Up

The most tangible consequence of the bombings for most runners was increased security at races of all sizes and distances across the country. Bomb-sniffing dogs, ID checks, metal detectors and other features of civil aviation security made their way into running. The New York Road Runners spent $1 million on security for the New York City Marathon, twice what it spent in 2012. For the most part, runners accepted the increased measures without complaint. In 2014, look for increasing discussion on whether the post-Boston security scenario should remain in place for the foreseeable future.

New York's Return to Splendor

After last year’s cancellation of the New York City Marathon, and the bombings at this year’s Boston, all of running had a simple wish for November 3’s five-boroughs marathon: Let’s please just have a nice, normal, celebratory big-city marathon. And that’s what happened, in spades. The anti-runner sentiment that was palpable in 2012 was absent this year, replaced by a renewed appreciation of the power of the event to unify communities. The race had 50,266 finishers, the most of any marathon in history by more than 3,000.

Mary Cain is Able

New York high schooler Mary Cain started the year with a bang and never let up. At the time a junior, Cain set U.S. high school records during the indoor track season, and three outdoors. In March, she won the open national indoor mile championship. In June, she placed second at the open national 1500-meter championship to earn a trip to the world championships in August. There she became the youngest women’s 1500-meter finalist in the event’s history, and placed 10th. Earlier this fall, Cain announced that she’s giving up her college eligibility to become a professional runner. After she graduates from high school in the spring, she’ll move to Portland, Oregon to train full-time with the Nike Oregon Project under Alberto Salazar, who has been coaching her remotely since the fall of 2012.

Quick Kipsang

Wilson Kipsang's marathon world record in Berlin on September 29 highlighted an exceptionally fast year of elite men's marathoning. Kipsang ran 2:03:23 to take 15 seconds off fellow Kenyan Patrick Makau's two-year-old mark. Behind Kipsang, Eliud Kipchoge was second in 2:04:05, the fastest losing time in history. Or at least it was until two weeks later in Chicago. There, one of Kipsang's training partners, Dennis Kimetto, won in a course record 2:03:48; he was pushed to the line by Emmanual Mutai, who took second in 2:03:52. Four of the six fastest men in history set their record-eligible PRs this fall.

Pistorius in Peril

In 2012, double amputee Oscar Pistorius became one of the best known athletes in the world by representing South Africa in the Olympics. He gained worldwide attention of a different sort on Valentine’s Day, when he was arrested in the shooting death of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius was formally charged with murder in August, and is scheduled to go on trial in March 2014. Pistorius has been out on bail since late February, and has reportedly continued to train as a way to cope with the situation.

U.S. Elite Resurgence Continues, Sort Of

At August’s track and field world championships, American middle-distance runners won four medals, two at 800 meters (Nick Symmonds, silver; Brenda Martinez, bronze) and two at 1500 meters (Matthew Centrowitz, silver; Jenny Simpson, seen at left, silver). Those performances built on solid showings at last year’s Olympics. At longer distances, however, top Americans struggled. Shalane Flanagan finished third at the Boston Marathon, but for the most part, U.S. marathoners weren’t factors in the world’s biggest races. The times of the fastest U.S. marathoners of the year (Flanagan, 2:27:08; Dathan Ritzenhein, 2:09:45) would place them more than a mile behind the year’s world leaders.

Rock 'n' Roll Series Retools

The Rock ’n’ Roll series of half marathons and marathons remained one of road racing’s biggest draws, but the ever-upward momentum of previous years stalled or, in some cases, reversed. Many of the races’ fields were a 1,000 or more smaller than in 2011 and 2012. In September, Competitor Group, Inc., which puts on the series, canceled half marathons planned for February 2014 in St. Petersburg, Florida and Pasadena, California because of low registration numbers. Also in September, Competitor ignited a debate about the role of elite runners when it announced it would no longer pay pros’ appearance fees at most of its North American races. More uncertainty loomed in December when Competitor's CEO and chief financial officer were replaced.

Tough Times for Tough Mudder

The public perception of adventure races took a hit in 2013, largely because of the death of Avishek Sengupta at a Tough Mudder event in West Virginia in April. Sengupta’s drowning in the pool below the Walk the Plank obstacle was ruled an accidental death, and is the only death in the three-year history of the series. Nonetheless, the incident caused many to consider anew the safety of events that sell themselves in part on their danger and difficulty. In November, the journal Annals of Internal Medicine published a review of injuries at one Tough Mudder. The report got widespread mainstream press because of its conclusion that the type of acute injuries most often incurred at adventure races can’t be prepared for in one’s training.

Doping Downfalls

In July, two of the world’s top male sprinters, Jamaican Asafa Powell (left) and American Tyson Gay (right), were announced to have failed drug tests. Gay, the U.S. record holder for 100 meters, subsequently said he would not compete in the world championships the following month. Many other world-class runners failed drug tests in 2013, which, depending on how you look at it, is either depressing (because of what it suggests about the prevalence of doping) or encouraging (because the testing system is at least partly working). In 2014, look for increasing scrutiny of testing, and more failed tests, in sprint powerhouse Jamaica and distance-running haven Kenya.

Too Much of a Good Thing?

Throughout the year, towns and cities sought to balance road racing’s ever-increasing popularity with its impact on weekend traffic and non-running routines. Some municipalities put a cap on the number of events they’d allow in a year; most notably, Raleigh, North Carolina set a 100-races-per-year max. Others sought to divert many races to lower-impact areas, such as parks, rather than through a town’s main streets. Overall, the trend was a reminder that our sport can’t take for granted that it’s unambiguously positive.

Minimalism Shrinks

Sales of minimalist shoes declined significantly throughout 2013. At the height of minimalism’s popularity a couple years ago, the shoes accounted for more than 10% of total running shoe sales, and were the subject of countless articles and debates. Market share dipped into the single digits in 2013, with each quarter bringing steeper declines, especially when sales of Nike Frees, which are overwhelmingly bought for activities other than running, were removed. Still, it could be argued that minimalist shoes are more influential now than at the height of their popularity; many conventional running shoes have incorporated minimalist principles such as less weight and lower heels.

Color Run Broadens its Palette

In 2012, The Color Run became the largest 5-K series in the United States in its first year, with more than 600,000 finishers. In 2013, it continued to expand. The first British Color Run was held in July. International Color Runs were also held this year elsewhere in Europe, as well as in Australia, Africa, South America, and Asia.

Growth of the Urban Tribes

Running has long brought together people of disparate backgrounds via a camaraderie of shared effort. What was significant in 2013 was the growth of groups, made up mostly of young urban residents, with unconventional running backgrounds nurtured primarily through social media. We celebrated this welcome development by featuring one of the groups, Boston’s November Project, on our December cover.